


Freeze

by Eggling



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-07 12:35:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20975972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eggling/pseuds/Eggling
Summary: The Doctor and Jamie reminisce while stuck in a prison cell.





	Freeze

“Remember -” Jamie rolled over, pressing his face against the Doctor’s shoulder. His fingers traced lazy patterns against the Doctor’s side, and he struggled to muffle his laughter when he touched a sensitive spot, making the Doctor squeak and jump away from him. “Remember when we first met?”

“Mm.” The Doctor wrapped one arm around his shoulders, pulling him close and holding his hand still. “Stop that, you. You know it tickles.”

“Ye love it, really,” Jamie mumbled in lazy retort. “_Do_ ye remember?”

“It’s a difficult thing to forget,” the Doctor said, chuckling. “You threatened me with a knife, as I recall.”

“An’ I’ve apologised for that.”

“Needlessly. It’s rather entertaining, in retrospect.”

Sprawling himself more comfortably over the bed, Jamie propped his elbows up on the Doctor’s chest. The inky darkness of the room had extinguished even the strange reflections that usually played across the Doctor’s eyes, and he had to resort to touch to find his face, slowly tracing out the familiar shape of his jaw. “Aye, I ‘spose so. Ben never let me forget it, though.” He fell silent again, chewing on his bottom lip thoughtfully. “I wonder how they’re doin’, him an’ Polly.”

“Well, we’re several thousand years after their time,” the Doctor pointed out. “But relatively speaking, I should think they’re doing rather well. They’ll be happy, back in their own time.”

A chill had settled over Jamie – one that had nothing to do with the air around them, cold as it was. “I dinnae like the thought of it. That they’re out there somewhere, dead.” He shuddered. “I know ye always say that time’s relative, but – I’d rather think that it’s no’ been that long, an’ they’re alive. An’ Victoria, too.”

“Well, that’s technically true, I suppose,” the Doctor said. “That’s the beauty of time travel. They’ll always be alive for us. We could go and visit them any time we wanted.”

“If ye could manage tae land in the right place,” Jamie joked, a little half-heartedly. He shuffled around in an effort to make himself comfortable, as if it were his body that was unsettled rather than his mind. “Now you’ve got me thinkin’ about them bein’ dead.”

“That’s true of all of us,” the Doctor said quietly. “We all end up somewhere. We might be out there too, you know.” He reached one hand up to cup Jamie’s cheek gently, and Jamie felt his mouth curve into a small smile. “Oh, I’m sorry, dear. I shouldn’t be upsetting you just now.” He yawned, nestling in closer against Jamie. “My word. It’s getting cold in here, isn’t it?”

“Aye. I dinnae think we’re out there dead yet, but it’s no’ gonnae be long. No’ with the way we’re going in here.”

“Don’t say that.” The Doctor settled the threadbare blanket more securely over Jamie’s shoulders. “We’re not supposed to be thinking about that. I’m sure Zoe will arrive soon.”

“Ye cannae promise that. You’ve never been able tae promise that we’ll get out alright.” The Doctor made as if to protest, but Jamie put his hand against his open mouth, quietening him. “An’ I’m no’ askin’ ye to. I’m used tae it by now, it’s been...” He frowned. “How long _has_ it been?”

“How long do you think it’s been?”

“Och, I don’t know.”

“Go on, guess.”

“_Doctor_.”

The Doctor turned his head a little, pressing his mouth against Jamie’s palm so Jamie could feel his smile properly. “About three and a half years.”

“Oh.” Something about hearing the number made Jamie’s head spin. “I thought it’d been longer.”

“Did you?”

“Aye, I think so. Or shorter.” He shrugged. “I don’t know what it feels like. It’s no’ like time is normal in the TARDIS.”

“Mm. The human mind isn’t meant to process non-linear time, I suppose.”

Jamie was silent for a long moment, thinking it over. _Three and a half years_. “It doesn’t seem long _enough_,” he said at last. “It doesnae feel that long since I met ye, an’ I feel like I’ve been with ye forever. But if it’s all gonnae end here – I’d have liked tae have more time with ye. No’ that I didn’t anyway, but hearin’ ye say it like that...” He shrugged. “It seems so small.”

“It’s not going to end here,” the Doctor said soothingly. “Even if Zoe doesn’t come. We’ll find some other way out.”

“No’ sure how many ways there are tae get out of an execution,” Jamie said drily. “Even for ye.” Feeling his way down the Doctor’s shoulder, he took his arm, draping it over his waist. The weight of it grounded him, slowing his pounding heart, and he closed his eyes as if he could shut out the darkness and calm himself. To his surprise, he found that it helped a little, though he could not see any less with his eyes closed. “You’re startin’ tae get cold. We need ye awake.”

“I’m quite alright.” Even as he spoke, the Doctor curled further in towards Jamie’s warmth. “It’ll be quite a while before my body starts to hibernate.”

“That’s no’ very encouragin’,” Jamie pointed out. “Here.” Taking the Doctor’s hands, he shoved them up his shirt. The Doctor’s fingers were cold against his sides, but the chill had sunk far enough into him that he did not even flinch. “I’ll keep ye warm.”

“You really don’t have to worry, Jamie -”

“How are we meant tae find a way out if ye start hibernatin’? Anyway, I’d rather worry about ye than worry about myself.” Jamie put his hand back against the Doctor’s cheek, trying to feel out his expression. “Just let me worry about ye.”

“Well...” The Doctor’s voice was laced with fondness. “I suppose if it makes you feel better, I shall have to bear it.”

“Good.” Jamie buried his face in the Doctor’s chest, and smiled when he felt the Doctor’s hold on his waist tighten a little in return. “Do ye remember when the redcoats were gonnae hang us, an’ ye pretended tae be German tae get us out of there?”

The Doctor burst into surprised laughter. “I certainly hope I won’t have to resort to silly voices to get us out of this one.”

“So ye admit they’re silly?” Jamie asked teasingly.

“Of course they’re silly.” The Doctor spoke matter-of-factly, but Jamie could hear the smile in his voice. “I’m always silly.”

“Aye, ye are. But it’s no’ like I wasnae silly too, back then.”

“Of course you weren’t.”

“’Course I was. I didnae believe ye were on our side, when ye got yourself out of the prison.”

“Well, you weren’t to know. I was silli_er_ back then. Three and a half years makes quite the difference, you know.”

“Seems like it.” Jamie shook his head. “If I didnae know better, I’d think we’d been in here for another few years already.”

“I’m sure Zoe is on her way,” the Doctor reassured him. “We’ll be out before dawn, you’ll see.”

“We’d better be, seein’ as it’s your fault we’re in here in the first place.” Jamie sighed. “_Why_ did ye have tae try on their sacred hat?”


End file.
